Stephen Doran, 57, a former Massachusetts state representative from Lexington for 14 years, was arraigned Thursday morning in Roxbury District Court on a charge of trafficking in methamphetamine.

Advertisement

Doran was arrested about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday as he left the Match Charter Middle School in Jamaica Plain where he was a full-time volunteer tutor this school year.

Doran is accused of receiving a package in the mail at the school that allegedly contained two heat-sealed freezer baggies with a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

The baggies weighed 480 grams.

Authorities say a search of his Dorchester home recovered 38 grams of a substance that also tested positive for crystal meth and $10,000 in cash, a digital scale and packaging materials.

John Miles, one of Doran's neighbors, described him as quiet and said he was never a problem in the multifamily home where he rented a condominium.

Miles said he was shocked and upset by the allegations.

In court, Doran's attorney claimed the former state representative and vice-president of the mortgage department at Bank of America was suffering from stage-three cancer and needed regular treatments at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

"His life is on the line," said defense attorney Vincent Murray.

The prosecutor asked that bail be set at $500,000 cash. The judge set bail at $10,000 cash, and ordered Doran be fitted with a GPS monitoring bracelet.

If he makes bail, he is ordered to remain under home confinement with permission to go out only for medical appointments.

A spokesperson for the Boston Public Schools said Doran had been accepted as part of a one-year service program to be a volunteer tutor in math and English for middle school students.

"He was found to be a hard worker with no issues," said Mike Larson, the chief operating officer at Match Education.

Doran was one of 150 people chosen out of 2,000 applicants from across the country according to Larson, and he completed a rigorous application process that included a criminal background check.